The days of streaming free content from Hulu is now coming to an end.
Instead, the only way to watch programs offered from the streaming platform is to catch them on the newly launched TV streaming service from Yahoo.
Yahoo announced on Monday, Aug. 8, the launch of Yahoo View, its TV streaming platform. The new service will offer premium content to online viewers for free, including TV episodes, and even anime and Korean dramas and movies.
Also featuring programming from Hulu, Yahoo View will be the only way viewers will be able to watch TV series and movies offered by Hulu for free.
However, some of the same TV series from other networks that are available on Hulu are also available on other places, such as the network's website, as well as People.com, Time.com, Vulture and xfinity.com.
"Video is an important part of Yahoo's strategy and we're committed to delivering the best digital video content to our users. To date, we've streamed amazing experiences across sports, finance, and news," Phil Lynch, Vice President and Head of Media Partnerships, said in a press release. "This partnership with Hulu is a natural extension of that strategy, bringing the best of TV and entertainment content to our lifestyle vertical."
Previously, Hulu allowed viewers to stream five of the most recent episodes of some series from ABC, NBC and Fox for free after eight days after they originally aired on their networks. Now, Hulu will begin to phase out this feature and instead focus solely on its subscription-based service.
Viewers will now have to stream these free Hulu shows from Yahoo View. This includes shows like Nashville, Grimm and MasterChef. It also includes behind-the-scenes interviews and day-after clips.
It's all important to note that the programming from Hulu has ads, and the two companies have a deal to share the revenue generated from said ads.
More than just a place to stream Hulu content for free, Yahoo's TV streaming service also has Tumblr integration. This feature allows fans to see GIFs and photos shared on Tumblr by other fans of that specific series, as well as see content from that show's official Tumblr page.
"As a TV junkie and Tumblr fan myself, I'm personally excited to have one place that brings together the best of free TV and Tumblr fandom," Jess Lee, Vice President of Lifestyles Product at Yahoo, said. "Yahoo View is our first step towards creating a powerful community TV-watching experience, but it's really only the beginning."
Of course, Yahoo owns Tumblr, so it makes sense that it would feature some form of integration. Those who use Yahoo View can also check out a "behind the episode" section that has the ability to block off content that may reveal spoilers, and picture-in-picture viewing so that users can browse through Tumblr while still watching the video content.
Hulu's free programming will be integrated into the service this fall; however, the desktop version of Yahoo View is now live. Yahoo View's apps for iOS and Android are expected to be released in the near future.
This is not the first time Yahoo has gotten its feet wet in the world of streaming. The company previously unsuccessfully launched a video service called Screen that closed up shop seven months ago.
Yahoo's deal with Hulu comes after Time Warner Inc. announced that it agreed to buy a 10 percent stake in Hulu.
